Playing to the whistle wasn’t enough. Former Everton star Tim Cahill helped the Red Bulls extend their unbeaten home season by booting home his first MLS goal after the ref’s whistle both sides say they heard.

The Red Bulls’ 3-2 victory over the Portland Timbers at Red Bull Arena last night was their first comeback from a two-goal hole since 2004, when they were known as the MetroStars. It pulled them within two points of East-leading Kansas City, but their struggle against the worst team in the league was anything but convincing.

Timbers coach Gavin Wilkinson said his team was victimized by ref Jasen Anno after Dax McCarthy’s shot hit a body in front. Both sides say they heard Anno’s whistle, but Anno allowed Cahill’s follow to count, tying the score just before halftime.

“Yeah, I heard it. So did the players,” Wilkinson said. “You could see on the replay him blowing the whistle well before the ball was going into the back of the net.

“Then, the decision was changed.”

Red Bulls midfielder Jan Gunnar Solli added his ear-witness evidence.

“He was too quick blowing the whistle,” Solli said. “I don’t understand why he would blow the whistle so quick. I can understand why the Portland players were so furious about it. I heard the whistle. I thought it was offside or something.

“I heard it. I looked at the referee and he was waving his hands that it was in.”

Anno said he viewed it as an advantage play, and denied being too quick to toot. He said in a statement that his whistle signaled the goal, not an infraction.

“When the ball entered the goal,” he said of blowing his whistle.

Cahill, in his third MLS game, said he never heard a quick whistle.

“The ball dropped, I followed it and hit the back of the net,” Cahill said. “I didn’t hear anything.”

The Red Bulls still had work to do to improve to 9-0-3 at home this season. They won on Heath Pearce’s header in the 88th minute, after keeper Bill Gaudette made two breakaway saves.

The Red Bulls fell behind 0-2 while the Timbers were winning right side footraces behind left back Roy Miller. Bright Dike opened the scoring off one of those. Miller was then stripped to launch the Timbers’ second goal, by Darlington Nagbe.

That was the end of Miller’s night, and coach Hans Backe replaced him with team-leading goal scorer Kenny Cooper, who started the Red Bulls’ comeback with his 14th goal, in the 42nd minute. Three minutes later, the whistle did not stop play, and the Red Bulls’ unbeaten home record did not end.